2018

This electronics prototype was developed as a technology feasibility exploration for Helvar. The goal of the prototype was to test if indoor illumination energy harvesting could be used to power a low-power wireless sensor. I also wrote my bachelor’s thesis on the topic of exploring the suitability of indoor lighting for such sensors, available here.

The communication and the sensor reading were done with a Nordic Semiconductor BLE module. The energy harvesting was regulated with a specialized energy management IC, and a supercapacitor was used as a storage element.

My responsibilities included the design and assembly of the prototype, and the embedded software. As mentioned earlier, I wrote my bachelor’s thesis on a related subject, measuring and simulating the energy harvesting capabilities and power consumption to verify the device’s function. The project also included a test device, built by another student, that could log the voltage values during longer test periods.